Middle ear effusion prevalence at time of tympanostomy before and during COVID-19 pandemic.
Int J Pediatr Otorhinolaryngol
; 147: 110785, 2021 Aug.
Article
in English
| MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-1260758
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND:
Management of pediatric otitis media with effusion (OME) and recurrent otitis media typically includes observation up to 3 months. Bilateral myringotomy and tube (BMT) placement is performed due to persistent effusion with associated symptoms such as decreased hearing. With the COVID-19 pandemic and mandatory stay at home orders (MSHO), children were quarantined at home and many remained home after MSHO. We reviewed the prevalence of middle ear effusion (MEE) at the time of BMT during similar time periods in the year before, during and after MSHO in this pandemic year. STUDYDESIGN:
Retrospective summary of BMT cases at a single tertiary children's hospital.METHODS:
All children <18 years who underwent BMT between March 1, 2020 and July 1, 2020 and between March 1, 2019 and July 1, 2019 were included. Statistical analysis included chi-squared and Mann-Whitney U tests.RESULTS:
A total of 778 cases were reviewed; 551 (71%) were performed pre-pandemic and 227 (29%) during onset of pandemic (N = 778). There were no significant differences in gender, age, and BMI between groups, but significantly fewer Caucasians (58% vs. 45%, p < 0.05) and more Hispanics (20% vs. 33%, p < 0.05) during-COVID. The prevalence of intraoperative effusion during-COVID was significantly lower compared to pre-COVID (65% vs. 83%, p < 0.001).CONCLUSION:
Pandemic and COVID-19 MSHO were associated with significantly lower intraoperative OME prevalence. Further research may elucidate the impact of face covering, social distancing, and virtual schooling on the incidence of pediatric ROM, OME, and ENT symptoms.Keywords
Full text:
Available
Collection:
International databases
Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
Otitis Media with Effusion
/
COVID-19
Type of study:
Experimental Studies
/
Observational study
/
Prognostic study
/
Randomized controlled trials
Topics:
Long Covid
Limits:
Child
/
Humans
Language:
English
Journal:
Int J Pediatr Otorhinolaryngol
Year:
2021
Document Type:
Article
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